Phone was stolen from UPS warehouse, then sold on Craigslist. That’s when the police came in.

Law enforcement officials here in the Triangle and across the nation warned online shoppers to be on the lookout for “porch pirates” who were stealing packages delivered to homes.

There were no alerts, though, issued for delivery workers snatching packages before the items left the warehouse.

But police this week accused Shannon Hale, a United Parcel Service employee, of taking a package containing an Apple IPhone X from the company’s warehouse and putting it for sale on Craigslist, said Laura Hourigan, a police spokeswoman.

Hale, 30, of 5934 Kohler Lane in Raleigh, was charged with one felony count each of larceny, obtaining property by false pretenses and possession of stolen goods, according to an arrest warrant filed at the Wake County Clerk of Courts Office.

Digital Access for only $0.99

Police say the crime happened Dec. 21, according to the arrest warrant.

Investigators think Hale stole the phone, valued at $1,200, and put it up for sale on Craigslist, where a man purchased it for $800.

The day after investigators think the phone was stolen, a man called the police department to report that he was the victim of fraud. He said that when the went to activate the iPhone he had bought from a Craigslist ad, he discovered that it was already registered to another number.

Police later determined that the phone was supposed to be delivered to a home in the 1800 block of Snow Wind Drive, but the resident never received it, Hourigan reported.

Police transported Hale to the Wake County jail. He remained in custody Wednesday in lieu of a $10,000 bail, a jail spokesman reported.

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